US President Obama has appointed India-born and educated technologist-entrepreneur, Gururaj Deshpande, as co-chairman of his National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Dr Deshpande ( “Desh” as he is known in the industry) is co founder and chairman of global optical networking companies Tejas Networks and Sycamore Networks, and the lithium battery maker A123 Systems. He will help take forward the President’s innovation strategy by helping to develop policies that foster entrepreneurship, create jobs, and drive economic growth.

Desh is one of 26 members and the only Indian on the council. Members include the cream of the US technology industries and academia, among them AOL Chairman Steve Case and Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang. The other co-chairperson, is Mary Sue Coleman, President of Michigan University.
“The National Advisory Council will help the administration develop a broader strategy to spur innovation and enable entrepreneurs to develop breakthrough technologies and dynamic companies, and to create jobs all across America. I want to extend my gratitude to the leaders selected to The National Advisory Council. Their work will be a key component of America’s economic recovery”, said US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke,announcing the appointments.

Desh did his electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and his Ph.D. from Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science at Queen's University, Ontario. He is currently on the board of trustees of the MIT and with his wife Jayashree heads a number of charitable initiatives in the US as well as in India.

July 23 2010